By the Light of the Fire
by Miss Bijou
Summary: It was the last night of term; the last night of their seventh year at Hogwarts.  It was the last night they had together.  A short story about James Potter and Lily Evans.


The sound of the fire changed from a roar to a crackle as the clock ticked away the passing hours. Most Gryffindors had already gone to sleep, but Lily Evans and James Potter were still wide awake in the common room, sitting on the couches talking with each other, like no one else existed. It was the last night of term, the last night of their seventh year at Hogwarts, the last night they had together. Neither of them wanted to leave yet.

They had only gotten together a few months ago, thanks to James' persistence in asking her out, and Lily's persistence in denying him. It was the happiest day of James' life when Lily finally said "Yes." Since that day, they spent all their time together that they could.

There never was much time, considering the many duties of being Head Boy and Head Girl. Then there was also the fact that, as seventh years, the amount of homework was tremendous. With the addition of the huge, life-deciding N.E.W.T. exams at the end of the year, everyone's time was devoted to writing new papers, catching up on old ones, and studying. Free time was virtually unheard of, and even slackers, such as James and his best-friend, Sirius, found that they could no longer procrastinate as long as they were used to doing, lest they drown in new work.

This night was the first time in weeks that Lily and James could take a breath and relax with each other. Whether they were complaining about attrociously difficult exams, or exclaiming with jubilee about surprisingly easy ones, the two shared everything. When they grew tired of talking, they were silent, and just looked at each other, occasionaly kissing. They were content to be together at last, and pass away the night, happily in love.

"You have to promise to write to me every day," James said, warming his hands near the fire.

"Of course! What else would I do during the day? Petunia and I can't very well go shopping and enjoy our summer together like we used to. You're going to be the only thing keeping me happy until my parents allow me to live in the Wizarding world, rather than the Muggle world."

"You could live with my family! My parents already took in Sirius, so it wouldn't be hard to accomodate you, as well." James was overjoyed by this thought, only to be shot down the next moment.

"Yeah, because my parents would totally be okay with me living with my boyfriend and his wizard family," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "There are some things that you just can't ask parents to let you do."

"Fine," he said grudgingly, "but we need to see each other regularly. Writing might not be enough to keep me happy."

"We could take an adventure of sorts every week," Lily suggested. "We could walk around Diagon Alley one week, and go to Hogsmeade another. There are so many places we could go!"

"That sounds like fun. We can decide where we're going each week. Maybe we can even go see a quidditch match!" He laughed at the thought of Lily watching a quidditch match, but knowing how much the sport meant to him, she agreed that it might be nice.

After making their plans for seeing each other during the summer, they discussed the next day. Following tomorrow's ceremony, they would leave Hogwarts forever by way of the boats, the same way they had entered the school, seven years before. Then, the train ride back to King's Cross was all they had left. It was exhausting for James just to think about everything that he'd gone through during his time at Hogwarts, and even more so to think about the future ahead of him.

"I can't believe it's over already, these wonderful seven years. I almost don't want to leave," James said, brushing hiss hands through his hair, then added, "Not that I want to stay at school forever, I am extatic to be finally done with this place, but there are so many good memories here. This is where I've spent the best years of my life, and now everything's going to be different."

"Yeah, but it's going to be a good change. We're moving on to things bigger than Hogwarts. I'm sure that it will be strange at first, but this is going to be fun. And I'll enjoy anything in life, as long as you're by my side."

Lily smiled as she thought about this. It was crazy, but she knew that she wanted to spend her life with James Potter, the boy she once despised. Once she opened her heart to him, she realized that he was really a caring and sweet man. Neither had said it yet, but at this moment, while sitting in the empty common room, by the light of the fire, Lily knew that they were both deeply in love with each other. They were made for each other. The mere thought that she was in love with James Potter made her smile uncontrollably.

James found as much meaning in these words as she intended. He could get through anything that life brought his way if he had Lily right next to him. He had loved her for years, and had fallen in love with her over the course of their last few months together. Her last sentance was as good confirmation as any that she loved him, too. Remus had told him many times that he was in love with her, but he truly knew it for the first time tonight.

He loved the way that she was smart enough to always see through him. He loved the way she was able to stand up to him. He loved the way her laugh sounded when she made fun of his and his friends antics. And he hadn't thought of it before, but James loved the way that her red hair shone in the firelight, making it even brighter. Her emerald eyes were so beautiful as he looked at her smiling up at him.

As the night grew longer and the morning drew nearer, Lily's eyes fluttered closed a few times, and then she finally fell asleep. She looked so peaceful as she laid there, and James didn't have it in his heart to wake her so she could sleep in her own bed, so he quietly left her side and crept up to his room to find a warm blanket. He took it back downstairs, then he placed it carefully on her, so she would remain warm when the fire finally died.

Although she was very much asleep at the time, when she awoke in the morning, Lily had a faint, beautiful memory of what happened after she fell asleep. The last thing she remembered before drifting into complete unconciousness was James gently kissing her forehead, and whispering in her ear a quiet, "I love you."


End file.
